Ode to a fig leaf [updated]

There is much more than can be laid at the feet of the wolf in sheep's clothing. She looks like and generally talks like she wouldn't hurt a fly, but the truth is that she has been a force against reason, against science, against economics, against individual rights and has happily used personal attacks when she saw fit to do so. She is a simpering vapid scaremongerer. New Zealanders should be pleased this nice but dim woman has not been in Cabinet, and has at the most dabbled around the edges of power rather than been in control of it.

The best thing about Fitzsimplesimon’s retirement? In Rob Hosking's words in the NBR, the departure of Fitzsimons -- “who has become a sort of organically grown, carbon-credit-worthy fig leaf for what is basically a radical left-wing party” – and in particular the elevation of non-environmentalist Sue Bradford, will expose for all to see the antediluvian Marxism that is now the ideological base of the local Greens.

After reading Scott's blog post on Genetix, I realized how daft the woman is. The scariest part for me was realizing that there are daft & stupid people everywhere in the country who kept voting the Greens into parliament.

I was thinking last night that I'd really like to see Bradford elected as co-leader, simply because it should usher in a massive drop in popularity for the greens - if not the end of the party as it stands.

Well I think the real question is: how come NZ, a supposedly "capitalist" "free market" "democratic" country these people can get elected.

Democracy - in the UK, the US and NZ - was designed to work with a property qualification so that only those with a stake in society could influence how their taxes were spent. We've lost that now.

Something like that needs to be reintroduced (perhaps a senate with the franchise being 1 vote per $1M unencumbered property) or we need a german / israeli style consitutional court that can rule parties like the greens and labour out.

Yes she is either a well meaning silly old thing or she is intentionally evil. As just one example, the price of petrol has been pushed up largely because they can get away with the ridiculous tax component being accepted as a sin tax. Otherwise I do not think this crippling cost would have been tolerated. I wander if the extent to which the looming depression can be blamed on green ideas can be quantified.

Sus, my only fear is that Bradford's so detested that even the Greens can see the damage she'd do to the party if she was one of the hand-holding co-leaders they insist on having.

Since that decision is made through a vote by every idiotic member of the green party, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Delahunty gets the job, as the average hippie probably found her godawful maiden speech to be inspirational.

If Bradford becomes leader, oh my golly, are we Libz going to have a field day!

To respond to Sally - I favour the first option; I am more a cock-up theorist than a conspiracy theorist. The unfathomable depths of human stupidity tends to preclude the formation of most conspiracies in the first place.

Also, to repeat a comment I made on Cactus Kate's blog - the loss of Fitzsimmons may well be the demise of the Greens so long as the opportunity to expose them for what they are is fully exploited.

Most of their supporters are the young and impressionable - destroy their credibility in the eyes of this group and you destroy the Greens.

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